Folding rocking-chair.



Patented July In, I900.

J.'W. CURRY.

I FOLDING BOOKING CHAIR.

(Application filed Dea. 9. 1899.)

(No llodel.)

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH W. CURRY, OF ADELPl-ll, IOWA.

FOLDING ROCKING-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,378, dated. July 10, 1900. Application filed December 9, 1899, Serial No. 739,773. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. CURRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adelphi, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Rocking-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a chair of this class that will be of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction and that will automatically fold when the operator pulls a cord in such a manner that the chair may occupy a minimum of space, as required for carrying on a persons arm or for convenience in shipping or storing.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the chair, and particularly in the construction of means for locking the chair in its position as requiredfor use and the means for releasing said chair and causing it to automatically fold, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows the entire chair in perspective in its position ready for use. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the chair in its folded position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the means for locking the chair in its position as required for use, and Fig. 4 shows a longi-. tudinal section of the part illustrated in Fig. Referring to the accompanying drawings,

I have used the reference-numeral to indicate the chair-rockers,which are of the ordinary construction. Near the forward end of the rockers are the uprights 11, fixed to the rockers and having the joints 12 therein at a point near the rockers. The said joints 12 are each composed of the following parts: On one of the hinge members is a central disk-shaped projection 12 to project straight forward from the hinge member having the notch 13 therein, as shown in Fig. 4. On the other hinge member are one or more mating disk-shaped projections 12 to project straightforwardly from the hinge member and to rest against the sides of the said central projec-' tion, and these projections are provided with notches 13*, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. These notches are so arranged and disposed as to stand in alinementwith each other when the hinge members are in alinement. A pintle 13 is passed through these disk-shaped projections, thus connecting them and forming a hinge-j oint. On the rear surface of the upper portion of each of the uprights 11 is a looking device comprising a lever 14:, having lugs 15 at its sides designed to overlap the sides of the uprights 11, which lugs are pivoted to said uprights to form a fulcrum for the lever. The lowerend of said lever is curved inwardly, so as to enter the notch 13 when the upright is in a straight position. Under the upper end portion of the lever 14: is an extensile coilspring 16 to impinge the under surface of the lever, and thereby normally hold the lower end of the lever in the notch 13. Attached to the upper end of each of the levers 14 is a cord 17, which passes through an eye 18 on the upright 11. Obviously when this cord is pulled the spring 16 will be compressed and the lever held out of the notch 13, thus permitting the joint to fold. On the rear end portion of the rockers 10 the uprights 19 are located. They are also fixed to the rockers and are provided with joints at 20.

A seat 21, which may be made of any suitable material, is pivoted to the uprights 11 and 19. Above the seat are the arms 22, pivotally connected with the rear uprights by means of the plates 23, and hinged to the upper ends of the uprights 11 by means of the joints 24. Two rounds are provided to connect the front uprights with each other, and similar rounds 26 connect the rear uprights with each other. For connecting the forward and rear uprights with each other I have provided the rods 27, having the eyes 28 at their ends,which eyes encircle the rounds 25 and 26, thus providing a pivotal connection therewith. I also preferably connect the rear uprights together by means of the rods 29, which are screw-threaded in opposite directions on their inner ends, and a turnbuckle 30 is providedto connect them, thus providing for drawing the rear uprights together and holding the parts of the chair firmly together. The cords 17 are extended rearwardly and downwardly and pass through an eye 31 on the upper one of the rounds 26, so that a person may by grasping the cord which projects through this eye 30 release both of the locking devices simultaneously.

I have provided means whereby the chair may be started to fold automatically when the locking devices are released as follows: Two contractile coil-springs 32 are provided, their ends being connected, respectively, with the seat 21 near its forward end and the uprights 11 near the central portion. Hence the resiliency of these springs will be exerted in a direction tending to fold the chair.

In practical use in Fig. 1 of the drawings it is obvious that it may be used with perfect safety as an ordinary rocking-chair and that no matter in which position it is placed it can not fold. However, when it is desired to fold the rocker so that it may be easily carried in a persons hand the operator grasps the ends of the cords 17 and by pulling upon them releases the locking device, and when they are released the springs 32 will cause the chair to fold and assume the position shown in Fig. 2, and after the parts are in this position the said springs will tend to hold them in place. The chair may again be set up by the operator grasping the seat and the back and forcing them apart until the levers 14 enter the notches 13, whereupon the chair is locked firmly in position.

By means of my peculiar construction of locking-hinge for folding rocking-chairs it is obvious that when the notches in the hinged members come into alinement and the wide end of the lever drops into said notches any strain upon either of the hinge members will be borne wholly by the fiat end of the lever in the notches, and this strain will not be transmitted to the fulcrum-pointof the locking-lever. Hence a strong and durable device is provided for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. A locking hinge for folding rockingchairs or the like, comprising a hinge member consisting of a straight piece, a diskshaped projection on the end of the straight piece, having a notch formed therein, a mating hinge member, comprising a straight piece, one or more disk-shaped projections to overlap the side or sides of the aforesaid projection, each of said latter projections having a notch therein capable of'being moved into alinement with the aforesaid notch, a pintle passed concentrically through the disk-shaped projection, a lever fulcrumed to the straight portion of one of the hinge members, and

having a wide, downwardly-projecting end designed to enter the notches in each of the disk-shaped projections when said notches are in alinement, and a yielding pressure device to normally hold the lever in the notches, for the purposes stated.

2. An improved folding rocking-chair comprising in combination two rockers 10, uprights 11 fixed thereto, joints 12 in said uprights having notches 13 therein, levers 14 fulcrumed to the uprights and designed to enter said notches, springs 16 for holding the levers in the notches, cords 17 whereby the levers may be drawn out of the notches, rear uprights 19 having hinged joints 20 therein, a seat 21 pivoted to the forward end uprights, arms 22 pivoted with forward and end uprights, rounds 25 connecting the forward uprights with each other, rounds 26 connecting the rear uprights with each other, rods 27 pivotally connecting forward and rear rounds, and contractile springs 32 attached to the seat and to the forward uprights, all arranged and combined for operation substantially in the manner set forth and for the purposes stated.

JOSEPH V. CURRY.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. FAIRBURN, REUBEN G. ORWIG. 

